DMC: Disproportionate Minority Contact
Refers to the disproportionate number of minority youth who come into contact with the juvenile justice system.
The Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention Act of 2002 broadened the scope of the DMC initiative from "disproportionate minority confinement" to "disproportionate minority contact," requiring an examination of potential disproportionate representation at all decision points within the juvenile justice continuum and implementation of data-based prevention and system improvement efforts to reduce identified disproportionality.
There is growing concern about the disproportionate number of minority youths in the juvenile justice system. Many studies show that the probability of minorities entering the system for the same offense is significantly higher for youths of color than for their white counterparts. This issue is commonly referred to as disproportionate minority representation or disproportionate minority contact.
According to 2003 estimates, Washington State’s juvenile (age 0-17) racial composition was:
- 73 percent White and 27 percent minority youth (5 percent Black, 2 percent American Indian, 7 percent Asian, and 13 percent Hispanic of any race)
- In three eastern Washington counties (Adams, Franklin, and Yakima) the percentage of non-white youth is more than 50 percent of the total youth population.
Research data collected by the GJJAC examined race and ethnicity as factors influencing decisions at various points within the juvenile justice system. In 2004:
- Non-white youth accounted for 16.1 percent of all juvenile arrests, 28 percent of all juvenile court offense referrals, 33 percent of juveniles held in county detention facilities, and 45 percent of juveniles held in JRA facilities.
Studies conducted in Washington State have confirmed that minority youth are disproportionately represented as a youth progresses through the juvenile justice system. The differences between minority and non-minority juveniles’ representation becomes amplified with each successive decision point. Although minorities are 27 percent of the juvenile population, they are 45 percent of the JRA population.
In 2004 the GJJAC (now the WA-PCJJ) completed the DMC Identification Spreadsheets as required by OJJDP for submittal in the state’s annual juvenile justice plan for federal Title II Formula Grant funds. The spreadsheets provide data to obtain the Relative Rate Indexes (RRI) for various racial/ethnic groups at different juvenile justice system contact points. Identification spreadsheets were completed for statewide, Pierce, Yakima, King, and Whatcom Counties. These three counties currently have DMC reduction activities ongoing. The RRI spreadsheets have since been completed for 2002 and 2003 as well.
For more information please go to Annual Report, Minority Youth in the Juvenile Justice System section. Or please contact Lisa Wolph, Washington State DMC Coordinator.
Racial Disproportionality in the Juvenile Justice System (pdf)
